HOUSTON — CeeDee Lamb caught a career-high 17 passes for 189 yards, and Dak Prescott threw a 12-yard touchdown to him with 40 seconds remaining, as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans 34-30 Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
The win moved Dallas to 2-2, answered the gut-punch of the Week 3 loss to Baltimore in Rio de Janeiro, and spoiled Houston’s attempt to salvage its winless start. The Texans fell to 0-4.
Dallas trailed 16-6 at halftime and did not lead until Javonte Williams scored his third rushing touchdown of the day, a 2-yard run that capped a 14-play, 81-yard drive and put the Cowboys ahead 27-23 with 11:17 left. Houston answered with an 87-yard march, highlighted by a hook-and-lateral from C.J. Stroud to Dalton Schultz to David Montgomery that covered 21 yards to the Dallas 6, and Wynton Marks‘ 6-yard touchdown run gave the Texans a 30-27 lead with 2:23 to play.
That set up the encore nobody in the Cowboys’ locker room wanted — and the one everybody needed.
“We had an opportunity to win that game last week, and we didn’t,” right tackle Terence Steele said. “It was just good to right the wrongs of last week. So it just shows that improvement that we made as a program, top to bottom.”
Prescott went 5-of-5 on the final drive for 68 of the 74 yards, twice converting with Lamb before finding George Pickens for 22 yards to the Houston 12. On second-and-10 from the 12, Prescott fired to Lamb over the middle for the winning score.
“The play before, I thought it could have been,” Prescott said. “They did a good job of holding their zero disguise and firing that. Just had to throw the ball away. But that second down, I saw the presentation they were giving us. And CeeDee did a great job of holding that window open and allowing me to make a throw.”
The touchdown was Prescott’s 85th career win as a starter, tying Roger Staubach’s franchise record.
“When you get into the groove of it, it’s the NFL, and that’s what makes this game so great: the parity, the competition,” Prescott said. “That’s a team over there that was sitting at 0-3, damn sure didn’t want to go 0-4. And they were as desperate as we were. And you’ve got to give them credit. But fortunately for us, we made the plays when we needed to and were able to come out with the win.”
Stroud, who completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns — both to Nico Collins — got one last chance from his own 28 with 37 seconds left. He hit Collins for 8 yards and Jack Noel for 11 to reach the Houston 47, but his final two throws fell incomplete, and Dallas closed it out.
Houston outgained Dallas 397-399 — a near wash — but the Cowboys dominated the second half, holding the ball for 18:21 of the final 30 minutes, including an 11:10 third quarter. Dallas finished with a 33:27-26:33 edge in time of possession.
Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb Find Their Rhythm After Sluggish Start
Dallas managed two Brandon Aubrey field goals in the first half, and left points on the field. Aubrey’s 62-yard try was blocked by Will Anderson Jr., and his 65-yard attempt at the halftime gun went wide left. Meanwhile, Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn made three field goals, including a 54-yarder as the second-quarter clock expired.
Prescott acknowledged he missed a read on a third down before taking a sack late in the half.
“CeeDee does a good job coming off and breaking out,” Prescott said. “One of those plays that you look back and you’re not proud of. I should have just stuck on CeeDee for a second, and he ended up winning. I wouldn’t have even put our team in the position for that long of a field goal.”
The second half was a different sport. Prescott finished 32-of-45 for 335 yards and the touchdown, with no interceptions, a 99.8 rating, and a scramble that kept the winning drive alive. Lamb, meanwhile, produced one of the finest receiving games in franchise history: 17 catches on 21 targets, 189 yards, and the winner in his return to the area where he became a star at Foster High School.
“It means everything, man. I grew up here,” Lamb said. “My grandma came out. It was really good to see her. She don’t really come to many of my games and really do all the hoorah and screaming, so it was good to see my family here. And it’s just been a long road to end up in this situation, and I’m grateful for it.”
Prescott did not realize what Lamb had done until told after the game.
“I didn’t even realize he had 17 catches until Shadi said it at the end of the game,” Prescott said, referring to coach Brian Schottenheimer. “I’m the one throwing — how do I not realize that? But that’s a guy just getting open, helping this team, doing whatever he can to help us — screens, being physical after he gets the ball in his hands. He runs like a running back. We’re blessed to have him and super, super thankful to have him. Glad he had a hell of a day like this in his hometown.”
Lamb, for his part, insisted the numbers were beside the point.
“Honestly, bro, I wasn’t even thinking about any of that throughout the game,” Lamb said. “The end goal for me was to score, and we walk off and feel victorious. A lot of third-down conversions that we had, I felt like I was a part of, and moving the sticks. That’s the end goal.”
The Other Side Of The Coin: Houston Doubled George Pickens, And Paid For It
The Texans’ defensive plan was clear from the opening series: tilt the coverage toward Pickens, roll a safety to his side, and dare someone else to beat them.
Someone else did.
“They brought a guy to George, made sure two were over the top, were clouding him to that extent,” Prescott said. “Still able to get a couple of big plays. The one time they did leave him one-on-one, the safety bit. It was just a great play design. Able to bomb it to him. He makes a hell of a catch.”
That catch was a 53-yarder down the seam in the third quarter that flipped field position and set up Williams’ first touchdown run.
“Was there ever a moment where you’re like, hey, man, CeeDee keeps making catches, why are they not doubling him?” Pickens was asked.
“Oh, not really,” he said. “I kind of understand why, because it’s me and him and Turp and a lot of other guys that schematically the defensive coordinator got to worry about.”
Pickens finished with just two catches for 75 yards but called the approach “engineering victory.”
“When you’re doing that and it’s part of the plan, you never know what a defense will do — they’ll probably switch it up, double him, then they can start meaning me,” Pickens said. “Just definitely playing football. You block a few times, it’s going to set up those big plays. Just definitely playing football.”
Prescott said the Texans chose their poison.
“If you’re going to play CeeDee like that, the number is in favor of G.P. And then if you want to play both of them, you’re leaving guys like Turp and Flo one-on-one,” Prescott said. “We’re going to attack you however we can.”
Ryan Flournoy came through in one of the game’s biggest spots, converting a third down with a blitz read late in the game.
“That just goes into the weeks of preparation — hell, months of preparation,” Prescott said. “We’ve got a plan for everything, no matter what people do. Credit the offensive line. They alerted me, hey, this is the look. I made the call to protect it. Alerted, hey, I need a hot if this happens. They delivered it. Flo was on it. I had the easiest job of throwing it to the guy. The rest had to go block, had to pick up. Flo had to read the blitz. It’s a testament to this group.”
‘We Just Remembered Who We Were’: The Last Drive
Steele described a huddle that has been forged over years of late-game moments — good and bad.
“We just remembered who we were, and we’re the best in the world at two-minute,” Steele said. “Where other teams get nervous and waver, we feel strong, and we feel like that’s our strong suit. D-line isn’t going to be able to sub in, so they’re going to rush real hard for those first two plays, but playing four, five and six, they’re not going to be rushing the same. And then you can only cover CeeDee and George for so long.”
Prescott said no speech was required.
“There’s no place I’d rather be, no group I’d rather do it with,” he said. “I thank God and ask God for those opportunities to have the ball in our hand for the last play. And each and every one of those guys in that huddle that steps on that field thinks we’re the best at it in two minutes. Guys were saying that we’re going to go down and do it, especially a week ago, when you go down the field and you don’t convert and get a touchdown and you lose a game essentially because of that. We’re thankful to have that opportunity.”
Last week, Prescott addressed the Baltimore meltdown by saying the offense “got in our own way.” Six days later, he was asked how important it was to walk away a winner, knowing the coaching staff and team could learn from mistakes and apply them immediately.
“It’s a lot funner to learn from things with the win,” Prescott said. “When we were put in this position tonight, I felt as confident as anything. And honestly, just thank God for the opportunity to go back out there and answer again. There was no doubt in my mind, I don’t think on anybody in our team’s mind, of the way that we’re going to respond this time and the way that we’re going to finish.”
Javonte Williams’ Nose For The End Zone, And An Offense Finding Its Run Game
Williams rushed 19 times for 62 yards (3.3 per carry), but scored three touchdowns, from 8, 1, and 2 yards out, and caught five passes for 21 more. It was the second straight week the Cowboys leaned on their ground game, and the chemistry up front is building.
“It’s harder to get the run game going. That’s something that has to develop over plays and over weeks,” right guard Tyler Booker said. “Obviously we wanted to get going a lot sooner, but we’re starting to see some progress and there’s still a lot more room to grow within the run game.”
Schottenheimer credited Williams’ vision in tight quarters.
“You don’t need to block the run perfectly because he has a unique way of getting skinny and turning his shoulders and finding a way to get in the end zone,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s one of the things we loved about him coming out of Denver.”
Dallas went tempo-heavy after halftime, and Booker felt it changed the game.
“We started playing Cowboys football. We put the pressure on them. We went tempo a lot more,” Booker said. “That helped us keep them from making a lot of subs and really just dictating the style of play to them.”
Prescott said the adjustments were as much about protection as scheme, noting the offensive line gave up far fewer pressures in the second half than the first.
“They hurt us in the first half more inside than they did on the edges,” Schottenheimer said. “I thought the pass protection was really, really good” after halftime.
Prescott took several hits and had his throwing hand stepped on after an intentional-grounding play, which is why it was wrapped postgame.
“I knew I was getting sacked. I was in trouble. Thankfully, got it away,” Prescott said. “My hand just got stepped on after. It’s perfectly fine other than that. Just a little swollen.”
Defense: Steps Forward, With Caveats
The Cowboys’ defense gave up 7.6 yards per play and eight plays of 20-plus yards, and Stroud finished with a 126.7 rating. But Dallas held Houston to 62 rushing yards, got off the field on third down in the second half, and most importantly, got the stop it needed after Lamb’s touchdown.
“[It] felt good to put that on tape, felt good to have that inside, just to understand that we’re able to win in those types of situations,” linebacker Rashan Gary said. “It’s the type of unit — we want games like that. If it gets to that time and the defense has to go close it out, we believe everybody in this unit could close out the game. And I feel like going to the last drive, everybody had that mindset of, if we got to win, then I’ll do it personally. And having all 11 guys have that type of mindset, man, is unbeatable.”
Gary said the pass rush, which recorded two sacks, aimed to make Stroud uncomfortable.
“Frustrating him, putting offensive linemen in his face, hitting him, running by him, bumping him — just things to get him off his game, because he’s the general of the offense,” Gary said. “And without him, they really can’t go far.”
Schottenheimer balanced the praise with the problems.
“Third-down defense, outstanding. Run defense, excellent. A bunch of three-and-outs and four-and-outs,” he said. “But we gave up too many explosives. We wanted to take Nico Collins out of the game. Well, we did a piss-poor job of doing that.”
Collins finished with seven catches for 118 yards and both Houston touchdowns, including a 45-yard bomb on the opening drive and a 22-yard score in the third quarter.
“Quarterbacks are being too efficient against us,” Schottenheimer said. “I think every quarterback has been over a 130 rating. That’s certainly not what we want to be. It’s not what we’re going to be, but it starts up front, starts with some of the stickier coverages.”
Joey Porter Jr.’s 48 Hours, And A Reinforced Secondary
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. signed with Dallas at roughly 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and played 25 defensive snaps on Sunday.
“I really can’t put this week into words. Hectic, probably hectic, but it came out with a win and that’s all I’m happy for,” Porter said. “It took a lot, but I’m a dog at the end of the day, and I want to be out there with the guys. I have to prove why they got me here, and I feel like I did that today.”
Porter credited the communication around him, including Caleb Downs and Malik Hooker, for getting him ready.
“Hook and Downs were communicating with me all game, all throughout the whole week. So when we got to the game today, it wasn’t really a stress because we’ve been talking all week,” Porter said. “Shout out to them boys, because without them, I wouldn’t even be able to play out there.”
Schottenheimer called it “a great start to his career here in Dallas,” adding: “Not bad for a guy that’s been here about 48 hours before we asked him to go play a game. You saw a very confident player in Joey Porter Jr., and that’s what we knew we were getting.”
The coach also singled out Hooker’s return from a fracture, calling it “incredible,” and noted Downs played exclusively at safety Sunday, a function of the team’s injuries. Downs could see some nickel work Thursday. Cornerback Cobie Durant is likely out another week.
‘Every Win Is A Must-Win’
Booker was asked directly whether this was a must-win with Tampa Bay looming on a short week.
“I’m not going to lie. Every win is a must-win game for us,” Booker said. “You never know how things could work out in the playoff end. Every week is a one-week season and we just give our all to that week.”
Dallas opened the 21-day practice window for left tackle Tyler Smith on Monday, and Schottenheimer said there’s hope both Smith and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown could work into practice Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s game. Schottenheimer also heaped praise on fill-in left tackle Tyler Guyton: “Outstanding. Just when you don’t have to talk about a tackle in this league very often, that’s a really good thing.”
The Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium, a matchup against another winless, desperate team with elite talent, by Schottenheimer’s accounting.
“We look forward to it. We play another really good football team that just hasn’t found a way to get a victory yet, just like Houston,” he said. “A coach that I respect tremendously, Todd Bowles. This will be another dogfight.”
Lamb, asked about the satisfaction of one of the best games of his career, kept it in the family.
“Yeah, I just want Shadi to know that I got his back,” Lamb said of Schottenheimer, who took blame for the Week 3 red-zone failures in Rio. “Honestly, I’m with him. I’m one of his strongest soldiers, and it’s just going to battle with each other. Once you have that confidence and know who you’re going to battle with, just shoot your gun, and I feel like he shot it there.”
Then, a message to the franchise’s receiving legends whose records he moved within reach of: “There’s nothing towards the guys that’s ahead of me, but here I come.”
The Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Oct. 8, at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff at 7:15 p.m. CT on Prime Video.
